geekhack
geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: captiandoge on Sat, 24 January 2015, 16:13:02
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Hello! I am trying to make my first custom keyboard! I am not very good at electronics so I can't design a PCB. I thought the next best thing would be to free solder my switches! The only problem I have is I would like to attach LEDs to all of my switches.
How would I go about doing that? Any help would be appreciated.
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Make a socket for the led to plug into and solder it onto the PCB just need the LEDs to have a good contact
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I'm not using a PCB is the thing
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The easiest way I can think to do LEDs without a PCB (I assume that's what you mean by "free soldering" the switches?) would be to glue each LED to a switch, then the leads would be there to solder to. The leads are the other side to the pins so shouldn't be too hard to avoid shorts, but you will have a lot of wires to fit in the case.
Also if you glue them you won't be able to swap the switch springs/stems and may need to replace the switch if the LED fails if you can't get them unglued.
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Maybe Good ol' wire wrapping?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_wrap
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Make a socket for the led to plug into and solder it onto the PCB just need the LEDs to have a good contact
I'm not using a PCB is the thing
No I think he's got something here. If you add SIP sockets to the switches once the LEDs are in place they don't move around much. Then you can direct wire the LEDs just like the switches (without PCB).
other people have direct wired switches and LEDs without a PCB. Sometimes it's messy, but it can work well if you're careful.